Method of and means for orienting strand material



Oct. 11, 1938. BLACKSHAW 2,132,457

.METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR ORIENTING STRAND MATERIAL Filed Jul :5, 1937 Y I N V EN TOR. JOSf/l/ LOVE/0y BLACKS/#414 A TTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 11,1938

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFice METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR ORIENTING STRAND MATERIAL Joseph Lovejoy Blackshaw, Brooklyn, Y., assignor to Walter L. Fleisher, New York, N. Y.

Application July 3, 1937, Serial No. 151,953

8' Claims. (01. 19-115 This invention relates to a method of and a plurality of parallelograms whose major and means for orienting strand material, and more minor axes may readily be changed by elonga particularly to a method of and means for iorienttion of the cross bar structure. Extending from ing glass filaments. beneath the cross bar structure are a plurality of Inair conditioning equipment of the type illusdependi'ng'fingers or pins, which may constitute 5 trated in U. S. Patent No. 2,054,809, backets filled extensions of the pins joining the cross bar memwith oriented glass filaments or the like, are used. bers and/or extend from the cross bars. In .the manufacture of these glass filaments, they In'operation of the device, the cross bar strucare delivered in a state of disorder in which the ture is lowered upon a heterogeneous mass of 1c filaments lie in difierent directions, although in glass filaments which are to be oriented, so that 10 planes substantially parallel to a common plane, the depending fingers or pins extend within the and the filaments tend to intertwine and intermass of material and between the filaments ,lock with each other. Due to the tendency of the thereof. The cross bar structure is then elonfilaments to interlock with each otherpit has gated in the direction in which it is desired to proven an extremely difficult task to orient these orient the filaments, and the resultant motion strands so that their axes are parallel or substanof the depending pins will havethe effect of nartially parallel, as is required in order that they rowing and elongating the heterogeneous mass may be used in accordance with the teachings of and of aligning the filaments thereof. said patent. Heretofore, there has been devised While a single operation of the cross bar strucno mechanical means for effecting such orientature will effect substantial parallelism of the 20 tion of glass filaments and the like, although con-. filaments, the operation may be repeated if a siderable effort has been directed toward the atgreater degree of orientation is desired and/or tainment of this end; and in order to accom-. to insure a more uniform distribution and plish such orientation, it has been necessary arrangement of the filaments in the finished manually to manipulate the filaments. Such product. This repetition may be accomplished 25 operation is both expensive and slow, and not by using the same cross bar structure over again conducive to the inexpensive production" of ,or bypassing the-filaments to be acted upon by oriented glass fibers or the like in substantial a second cross bar structure. This latter method volume. I may be preferred where the glass filaments are The general object of the present invention is handled upon a conveyor belt or the like, as is 30 to provide an improved method of and means for customary inlarge scale production. orienting fibers or filaments of material such as While the invention is described with particuglass. lar reference to the orientation of glass fila- Another object of the invention is to provide ments, it is to be understood that its applicaan improved method of and means for orienting tion is not so limited, and that the invention may 35 glass filaments or the like, which are relatively be utilized to orient strands of various'types of simple, yet highly effective, and which accommaterial. 5 plish-this result without breaking or in any other Other objects and features of the-invention will way impairing the utility of the filaments. be more apparent from the followingdescription,

40 Another object of the invention is to provide to be read in connection with the accompanying 40 an improved method of and means for orienting drawing, in which glass filaments or the like, which render the Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic elevational view of orientation of glass filaments both rapid and the invention as applied tothe orientation of inexpensive. strands being moved upon a conveyor belt;

In carrying out this invention, applicant uti- Fig. 2 is a plan view .of'applicants cross bar 45 lizes a lattice-work comprising aplurality of cross structure, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

bars parallel to each other in a first direction showing the cross bar structure in slightly and another plurality of cross bars parallel to elongated condition;

each other in another direction, the first-men- Fig. 3 is a view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1

tioned and'the last-mentioned parallel cross bars showing the cam which controls the elongation 50 being in superposed relation. Where the upper and contraction of the cross bar structure; and and lower cross bars cross each other they are Fig. 4 is a view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. l jointed by pivot pins or the like, which extend showing the cam which controls the raising and therethrough. The pins are relatively loose lowering of the cross bar structure.

within the cross bars so that the cross bars form Referring to the drawing, the numeral 5 desig- 55 nates a conveyor belt carried upon rollers 6 and adapted to be driven by drive roller 1. Drive roller 1 is driven by motor 8, or the like, through gears 9, and drive shaft Ill. Glass strands or filaments H are deposited upon the belt 5, as indicated at H and form a heterogeneous mass upon the surface of belt 5. Due to the motion of the conveyor belt the thickness of the heterogeneous mass is desirably limited, but the filaments which comprise this mass lie in all directions, although most of the filaments will lie in planes substantially parallel to a common plane. In order to effect orientation of these filaments. the apparatus generally designated I2 is employed. Subsequent to orientation, the glass filaments may be passed through an annealing chamber l3 and upon their emergence therefrom will be ready for use. As illustrated, the apparatus l2 orients the filaments before they are supplied to the annealing chamber l3, but it is to be understood that the orientation may be ac.- complished subsequent to. the annealing step if such operation is preferred. Moreover, any desired number of orienting devices such as l2, may be provided and used, and these may be adapted to act upon the filaments prior and/or subsequent to the annealing step, the number of these devices which is employed depending upon th degree of orientation and/or the uniformity of the product which is desired. If desired, a binder, preferably of the watersoluble type, may be sprayed uponthe filaments after they have been oriented to the desired degree, in order that they may readily be handled as they reach the end of theconveyor belt, and to facilitate their packing and shipment.

The cross bar lattice of device I2 comprises a plurality of cross bars l4 parallel to each other and a plurality of cross bar members M parallel to each other, these two sets of cross bars beingin superposed relation. Bars II! and are pivotally connected together at any desired number of points, by pins l extending therethrough.

Thus, the lattice may be elongated and con-' tracted along the line of travel of the belt 5. Depending from the lattice structure are a plurality of fingers or pins IB. These pins I 6 may constitute extensions of the pins l5 which pivotally connect the members M and H' Also, pins i6 may depend from the bars l4 and N at points intermediate of the points of interconnection between these bars. Thus, the cross bars are constituted coarse combs.

Support i I is attached to the lattice, preferably at the central portion thereof as indicated at l8, in any suitable, manner, as by the collars l9.

' Support IT is adapted to 'move up and down within the guides 20 which insure its travel in a vertical direction. Support I! is moved upwardly and downwardly by cam 2| carriedon shaft 22, which is driven preferably by motor 8. Thus, the upward and downward motion of the lattice is in timed relation with the movement of mate ial upon the conveyor belt 5. To insure positive motion of the lattice upwardly and downwardly, cam 2| is preferably of V the cored type in which a groove 23 is formed. The path of this groove within the cam determines the vertical movement of the support II, which is secured, as by arm 24, to roller 25 disposed within the groove 23. V

Pivotally connected to the extremities l5 of the lattice, preferably to the tops of the pins l5 connecting the members l4 and N at these points, are control rods 26, adapted to control the elongation and contraction of the lattice. The other ends of control rods 26 are pivotally connected, as at2l, to a collar 28 slidably carried on support I1. Collar 28 is connected by extension 29 to a. roller or the like, 30, disposed within the groove 3i of cam 32. Cam 32 is carried on and rotated by shaft 22, and thus the elongation and contraction of the lattice is in timed relation with the movement of glass filaments on the conveyor belt and in timed relation with the up and down movement of the lattice. The cams 2| and 32 are so formed and arranged that the lattice is lowered in contracted condition upon the mass of filaments to be oriented, so that the pins l6 depend ng from the lattice extend into the mass of filaments; so that while the lattice is inlowered position it is elongated by a downward movement of collar 28, whereby the at each downward motion, it will be understood that the lattice device I! may be used to act upon a batch of material more than once before this batch of material is moved from beneath the device l2 by the conveyor belt. Furthermore, where such repeated operation is provided, the apparatus may be so arranged that successive elongations of the lattice are progressively greater. Again, if desired,'the lattice may be contracted slightly after its elongation and while its pins are still within the filamentous mass, in order to facilitate removal of the pins and raising of the lattice. Moreover, while the device l2 and the conveyor belt 5 have been illustrated and described as being mechanicallyconnected and driven by the same prime mover, it will be understood that they may be driven by diiferent prime movers, and that the device l2may be manually driven, instead of mechanically driven, if desired.

While in the foregoing description the lattice has been described as being lowered upon the filamentous mass, if desired, the lattice may be formed with upwardly extending pins, the filamentous mass in such case being placed upon the lattice. Similarly,,the conveyor belt, work table or the like along'which the glass travels, may be formed with suitable openings so that the pins of the lattice may extend upwardly through these openings and into the filamentous mass, the lattice being placed beneath the conveyor belt or work table and the control being the reverse of that hereinbefore described.

Since many changes may be made in the invention without departing from its scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense, applicant limiting himself only as indicated in the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:- I

1- In an apparatus for arranging non-parallel filamentsor strands of material in substantially parallel arrangement, a plurality of cross-members, means for pivotally connecting together said cross-members, said cross-members and connecting means being adapted to provide a plurality of parallelogram structure, said pins of filamentous mate being adapted to penetrate within a mass rial and to orient'the filament thereof upon dc formation of said parallelograms.

2. In an apparatus for orienting non-parallel filaments or strands of material'means providing a plurality of readily deformable parallelograrns, the sides of said parallelograms being formed of substantially rigid members, and a plurality of elements in combination with said parallelograrns adapted to penetrate between said filaments and to orient said filaments upon deformation of said r parallelograms;

3. In an apparatus for orienting non-parallel filaments or strands of material, means providing a plurality of readily deformable parallelograms, the sides of said parallelograms substantially rigid members, and a plurality of elements in combination with said parallelograms adapted to penetrate between said parallelograms, at least some of said elements'beq ing mounted upon the rigid members constituting the sides of said parallelograms.

4- In an apparatus for orienting non-parallel filaments or strands of material, a plurality of cross-members. means for pivotallyrconnecting together said cross-members, said cross-members and connecting means being a plurality of readily deformable parallelo'grams, and a plurality of pins allelogram structure, said pins being adapted to penetrate within a mass of filamentous material and to orient the filaments thereof upon deformation-of said parallelograms, at least some of said. pins constituting extensions 1 said cross-member connecting means.

5. In an apparatus for orienting noneparallel filaments and Y to orient said filaments upon'deformation of said adapted to provide extending from said par I trate between 2,182,407 readily deformable parallelograms, and a plufilaments or strands of material, means providing rality of pins se to and extending from said a pluralityof readily deformable parallelograms having relatively rigid side members, a pl 'of elements in,

grams adapted ments, and means grams .ina direction.substantially'parallel to that in which it is desired to orient the filaments.

-6. In an apparatus for orienting .noneparallel filaments or strands of material, means-providing a plurality of readily deformable parallelograms, the sides of- -said parallelograms being urality formed of relatively rigid members, a 'pluralityof elements in combination with said parallelograms and extending therefrdm'means formoving .said parallelograms intoa position in which said elements extending therefrom will penetrate between said filamn'ts, means "for elongating said in a direction i allel to to orient-said filaments, whereby said filaments will beoriented, means for then moving saide'lements out of engagement with said filaments, for contracting said parallelograms, and for repeating the operating cycle. i 'I. An apparatus according to claim 6'in'cluding means for conveying the filaments and, means for controlling the operating cycle of the parallelograms in timed relation with the movement of the filaments. 1

ably associated with said lazytongs and extending away from said lazyt ngsj t ia y P pendicularly to theplanein which said lazyton'gs is' deformable, said pins being adapted to penethe filaments or strands to be oriented.

JOSEPH LOVE-JOY BLACKSHAW.

substantially par- 

